The Cruise 3 - Some Answers

“I’m sorry if I did that, it wasn’t my intention. And yes, you are her spitting image,” Justin clenched his jaw. Something was odd, but it was impossible not to be the same person. What was going on? Claire had a double, or she was a hell of an actress and should get an Oscar for it! 

“You’re doing it again…” Ella said playfully. “Ok, I’ll try to make a good impression to make up for my clone, deal?” she winked and smiled at him. Seeing the surprise all over his face, Ella relaxed and started reading the menu for her options. 

“Are you ready to order?” asked Anna, handing them their drinks.

Ella got her beer and gave a long and nice gulp on it. “So good! I needed this!” she muttered to herself, closing her eyes. Justin kept observing her and at that moment he felt he wished to be that bottle just to taste her lips. 

“Would you like some pasta dish?” Justin recommended knowing Claire’s love for Italian cuisine.

Ella smiled at him. “Well, I’d rather have fish, but sure, why not? Once in a while don’t hurt, right? I’ll let you choose,” she grinned and closed the menu, blushing a bit. 

“So, you’re American.” 

“Yes, I’m from New York, but I moved to Florence about a three years ago. You?” 

“New York also, I’ve been living in Florence for more than nine years already, do you like it here?”

“In the beginning I was very homesick, so besides drowning myself in work, photography help me cope. I have a collection from different places in Florence, maybe one day you can see it,” Ella always got carried away about her photos and instantly felt silent and blushed. “I mean…”

“That’s a beautiful hobby, I wish I was good enough to do it. Do you work with photos?”

“I’m a software developer and web designer. Yes, sometimes I work with photos.” she smiled at him enjoying the conversation, at last they were relaxing a bit. “And you? What brought you to Italy?” she was happy to see the waitress again with their order, her stomach was rumbling and making her uncomfortable. 

“My father needed help in his office, so he sent me there. We own a textile factory back in US, and we have a few offices abroad,” he narrowed his eyes scrutinizing her face. 

“For real? Which one?”

“Sanders & Sanders.”

“Oh…” she took her hand to her mouth. “Those beautiful fancy ones? My mom always buy them and take to her seamstress. She loves it,” her face glowed.

Justin nodded to her, he was trying his best to catch her on a lie, but he couldn’t see how. “I’m glad you like them,” he was at ease listening to her melodious voice, and fell under her spell when she bunched up her hair in her hands twisting it, let it fall over her shoulder and breast, and looked at him under her lashes. His body tensed and a shiver went down his back settling at the pit of his stomach. 

“You said you are a software developer, what means you know a lot about computers, programming,” his eyes were once again icy black staring at her.

“Well,” she bit her lip. “Sort of, I know my way around in what I do.” Ella swallowed hard noticing the sudden tension between them. 

“Like hacking?” 

Ella wasn’t sure, but she had the impression of a low husky growl. Looking at him, she felt her face catch on fire and right away she crossed her legs trying to control the emotions his voice alone was doing to her body. “Why… Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. Could you hack a whole company?” he leaned forward breathing in her cinnamon scent.

“No, of course not! I would never do such a thing!” blinking she moved back on her chair. “Not everyone who works with software are hackers.” 

“So you know how to do it?”

“No, I don’t...”

If she had nothing to hide why was she nervous? Maybe coincidence, he didn’t know what to make of it. A mixture of anger and jealousy hit him. He breathed deeply and looked at her. “Are you in this cruise?” 

Ella didn’t like where the conversation was leading, it was making her feel unfamiliar things, he was trying to scare her, although she wanted to be there. “To have some peace and quiet.”

“Are you taking with someone?” he just couldn’t stop staring at her mouth, the way she chewed on her lip and looked at him. She made him feel things long forgotten. He loved Claire so much, he gave her the world, at least he thought so, and it wasn’t enough for her, she wanted more and more. Anger built up again, but at the same time he wanted to take her right there on that very table.

“What do you think?” she paid attention to all the emotions going through his face.

“You tell me…” 

“If I were with someone, didn’t you think I would have better things to do than be here having dinner with you?” seeing his grimace she paled, but kept staring at him. A feeling of dread was making its way through her spine, but his eyes were a promise of sinful things.

“I don’t know, maybe?” he questioned with a smug face waiting for her reaction. “I was only the one you married to, but pleasure you always found in somebody else’s bed, a lot of somebody else’s…” he said his voice dripping in sarcasm. 

She looked at him, shocked and wide-eyed. He could see the disappointment in her face, the disbelief in her eyes, and sudden anger. Ella got her beer and drank in one big gulp, putting her bottle back with a loud thud, she stood up. “I think I’m done here, dinner is over.” she glared at him, then turned and left the restaurant. 

She barely made it outside when Justin grabbed her by the wrist and turned her around. Instinctively Ella held tight her pendant under her blouse. When she saw Justin staring at her hand, she let go of her necklace. “What’s the matter with you? Are you freaking nuts?” she asked on edge. “What do you want from me?” He was way too close to her. Ella could feel the warmth of his body emanating from him.

“I just want some answers,” and Justin started directing her to the cabins with a blank face on.

“I don’t have any answers for you,” Ella was struggling, trying hard to break her wrist free, but the more she tried the more he tightened his grip on her. 

“That’s for me to decide,” he said with a husky voice and giving her a smoldering look. His eyes were black, looking down at Ella.

“Where are you taking me?” she lost herself in his eyes and with a mixture of fear and excitement spreading all over her.

“To my cabin,” he closed himself off and pulled her by the arm. 

Once inside, Justin pinned her to the wall. Ella tilted her chin, looking at him defiantly. He looked down on her. “Justin, what are you doing?” Ella asked in a hoarse voice. Suddenly he lowered his head, and she could feel his warm breath close to her neck and that itself made her feel a shudder go up her spine. “What are you doing?” she asked him again. He was moving his mouth up and down her throat. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to make of you, I don’t know what to think about you. I just know I need to kiss you right now” he answered, deepening his voice and his mind totally in chaos, and then he looked into her eyes, and that was enough to set her on fire. Ella closed the gap between them, pulling him down on her, crushing her soft lips onto his. Surprised by her reaction Justin lost it, with one hand he grabbed Ella by the hair and the other rested on her waist pulling her even closer, pressing her against his hard body. Ella moaned against him opening her lips giving him total access to explore her mouth. His lips were gentle at the beginning, but suddenly he deepened the kiss, becoming wild and anxious by the second. Oh, gosh! How I missed this! I missed us. I hate her so much, and I missed her so badly. There was a raw hunger for her eating up at Justin, and he couldn’t stop himself. His kisses were full of tension and rage. He wanted to punish her, to torment her, to make her pay for everything she had done to him.

Ella put one of her hands around his neck and started involuntarily playing with his hair, and the other cupped his face in a gentle caress. Sending a jolt of fire to his groin, and then she intertwined one of her legs in his. His hips moved forward pressing against Ella’s in a hot and delicious way, she could feel the hard bulge pressing against her stomach, his lips were aggressive on her soft ones, but Ella was matching his kisses with the same wild intensity. Justin’s hand slipped from her waist cupping her butt and pulling her up crushing her against his hardness, she let out a soft groan and slid her hand down his back arousing him even more. “Justin…” Ella moaned against his mouth. 

Ella let go of his mouth. They were breathless; she traced little kisses on his chiseled jaw and spent some time on his earlobe going down his collarbone. He tore her blouse and took her breasts in his hot mouth, his tongue driving her insane, swirling over her nipples and sucking them into hard peaks. She held his head close to her and arched back, giving him even better access to them. Ella was gasping for air, pressure building in her core just by having his hot and wicked mouth on her. After a while of exquisite swirls of his tongue on her soft full breasts, he took her mouth again, and her kisses were as hungry as his, but sweet and passionate. It puzzled him. She was the same, but altogether different. It was like he was kissing her for the first time. Even her smell was different, maybe a change in her perfume. And yes, she was driving him crazy. “You smell so good, it’s making me go nuts, cinnamon girl” Justin groaned. “I love this perfume on you, even though I want to strangle you. I’ve missed you so much, Claire!” he whispered in her ear. 

Ella went stiff in his arms. The moment she heard him, she went cold. She put her hands on his chest and gave him a hard push; he stepped back, disoriented, trying to catch his breath. She looked at him trying to breathe and covered herself with what had left of her blouse. “I’m gonna leave now. Don’t you dare follow me!” she said, shooting daggers at him. In a hurry, she left his cabin and walked numbly until she reached her own.